Young women should take steps to prevent osteoporosis

In sports medicine, we don’t often think of osteoporosis as one of our main themes, but let me assure you, even if you are a young healthy female, you should read this column.

Hip fractures in elderly females are currently at their yearly peak. With all of this crazy weather, conditions are optimal for injuries which include not only fractures of the hip, but also the wrist, shoulder, spine and pelvis. Fractures in frail, elderly females are a leading cause of decline and even death and you need to be taking the appropriate measures now so that you don’t become a statistic later on in life.

Why am I saying this?

Believe it or not, bone mineral density peaks at around age 25 in females — then it’s all downhill, especially once menopause hits. That means that it’s up to you teenagers and gals in your early 20s to really bulk up and optimize your bone density — now.

While I am worried about the young females who eat poorly and get very little exercise, I am also equally concerned about the many young females that we all see at the gym, in the malls and running around town. They are a little too thin and they may be overdoing it when it comes to their aerobic regimens. Many of these young ladies look slim and fit, but their bone health may be headed toward a crisis.

When we talk about exercise, we need to remember that everything we do needs to be done in moderation. There needs to be balance that includes an appropriate amount of exercise, an appropriate diet and a body composition that allows for a young female’s body and its hormones to function appropriately.

There’s actually an entity called the Female Athlete Triad that includes osteoporosis, eating disorders and menstrual problems — and I think it’s more common than we think.

If you want strong bones, you have to use them — and it’s a good time to start.

Girls and young women should concentrate right now on building strong bones to cut their risk of osteoporosis later in life. Now, you might be thinking osteoporosis doesn’t sound as bad as things like cancer or heart disease. But the truth of the matter is that osteoporosis can be nasty, debilitating and can lead to problems that can be fatal. Luckily, something as easy as regular exercise and a healthy diet can prevent tons of problems down the road.

The good news

Doing regular exercise — as part of your life — can help maintain your bone quality. Bone is living tissue that constantly breaks down and reforms — it is constantly remodeling. When you do regular exercise, your bone adapts to the impact of weight and the pull of muscle by building more cells and becoming stronger.

I’m going to give you plenty of options for maintaining your bone health.

Here are some of the activities that I recommend to build leg, hip and lower spine strength. No matter what your age or activity level, the list below should offer at least a couple of options for you to promote your bone health.

• Brisk walking, yard work or gardening

• Golf

• Bowling

• Yoga

• Dancing

• Jogging

• Tennis and racquet sports

• Skiing and skating

• Team sports such as soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball and hockey

In addition to these other activities, weight training with machines or free weights can also help build strong bones, especially in the upper body.

In general, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, four or more days a week. Besides improving bone strength, regular exercise also increases muscle strength, improves coordination and balance and leads to better overall health. Remember that a well-rounded exercise regimen that includes both strength training and aerobic exercise is the best recipe for good health.

Additional measures

In addition to doing exercise, to protect yourself from osteoporosis, you should also:

• Eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. This may include dairy products (i.e., milk, yogurt and cheese), vegetables (i.e., spinach and broccoli) and fish. If you have dietary issues, you should consider a calcium and vitamin D supplement.

• Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake – it has clearly been shown that both smoking and excessive alcohol are bad for your bones.

• Remember that soft drinks have also been implicated as a culprit in poor bone health.

Take some steps

If you are a young female athlete who has had more than one stress fracture or if you are a female of any age who might be at risk for osteoporosis, see your doctor for a bone density test and blood work.

If regular exercise and a healthy diet aren’t enough to bulk up your bones, there are a number of medications on the market that can help build your bone density and prevent further bone density loss.

Ladies, please be proactive on this issue. I can assure you if you are proactive and take the appropriate preventative measures now, you will save yourselves a lot of grief down the road.

Dr. Joseph Guettler is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. His practice, Performance Orthopedics, is located in Bingham Farms. Guettler is active in teaching and research at Beaumont Hospital and the OUWB Medical School.